OTHER Question about using a Directv Satellite Dish with a FTA reciever.

[harshness]

If you can't find a suitable place to locate a dish, a bigger dish isn't likely to help. BUDs have very special mounting requirements and there aren't any viable shortcuts to supporting these relatively heavy, wind-catching antennas.

There are a number of >2 meter dishes (the bare minimum for more than occasional C-band reception) on eBay. BUDs typically aren't inexpensive and require substantial assembly as well as a well-designed and executed mounting arrangement (typically not included). It usually pencils out better to find a dish that someone is trying to get rid of and make transport arrangements to get it to you (again, not inexpensive).

What is your budget for the whole setup? Getting only some of the parts gets you nothing.

At this point in the project, your time is probably better spent researching rather than experimenting.

 

[Route66Fan]

What is your budget for the whole setup?

Somewhere around $100 to $125. I already have the receiver & Ku band LNB.

I actually think that some of the problem is that I really haven't been able to figure out where the focal point on the dish is.

 

[KE4EST]

Somewhere around $100 to $125. I already have the receiver & Ku band LNB.

I actually think that some of the problem is that I really haven't been able to figure out where the focal point on the dish is.

Without a good satellite meter and experience, it will be difficult to get what you have working. A lot of factors going on here. If you have around a hundred bucks to play with get a GEOSATpro 90cm from eBay and you will find it will be a much easier go! UNLESS....you have do have a major LOS issue.

 

[FTA4PA]

Somewhere around $100 to $125. I already have the receiver & Ku band LNB.

I actually think that some of the problem is that I really haven't been able to figure out where the focal point on the dish is.

You won't find a quality new c band dish for $125 so your best option is to look around for an older dish that is not being used. Many times you can get these for very little cost or even free. If you are lucky it will come with an actuator (although it may need some work to get it usable).

 

[harshness]

I actually think that some of the problem is that I really haven't been able to figure out where the focal point on the dish is.

This is where the YouTube cable tie and duct tape crowd have perhaps done more harm than good in the community in not stressing the care necessary to achieve a positive result.

See post #45 of this thread. You will proceed no further until you follow those instructions carefully. You're aiming at a target that is more than 22,000 miles away so "close enough" isn't good enough. Each 1/10th of a degree that you're off translates to a little over 45 miles

$119 will get you a new Ku antenna and a basic mount (you'll still need something relatively solid to mount it to). $125 probably isn't going to cover shipping and handling for a 1.2 meter or larger setup (new or used).

Line-of-sight is a go/no-go condition. If you can't get an unobscured view of the satellites you need, you should sell your FTA gear and find a different hobby.

 

[Route66Fan]

Other buildings in my area have DirecTV\Dish Network satellite dishes. Do they have stronger transponders. I will keep messing around with the dish & LNB to see what happens & try to find a stronger pole to put the dish on.

 

[comfortably_numb]

Other buildings in my area have DirecTV\Dish Network satellite dishes. Do they have stronger transponders.

Yes. The DBS satellites have high-powered transponders designed for use with smaller dishes.

 

[Route66Fan]

Ok, Thank you.

 

[harshness]

Other buildings in my area have DirecTV\Dish Network satellite dishes.

Anyone with an appropriate and functioning dish and a clear view of the sky where the satellites are located (unobstructed "line of sight") can receive the signals. The signals from the FTA satellites don't hit some addresses and miss others in the same area.

"Unobstructed" means that there can be no structures (near or distant, natural or man-made), leaves, branches, fences or even window glass in the line of sight (FTA signals are effectively blocked by window glass). FTA Ku signals are weak enough that they may be interfered with (dispersed) by heavy rain clouds but they'll return as skies clear.

 

[Route66Fan]

Would it probably help to use a scalar ring.

 

[comfortably_numb]

Would it probably help to use a scalar ring.

If you're using a C-band LNB on a 1.2m dish, you have to use a scaler.

 

[harshness]

A conical scalar ring reduces the viewing area (narrows the cone) of the LNB so that it doesn't pick up signals from beyond the outer rim of the dish that may interfere with the intended signal. This solves some possible problems with C-band because C-band frequencies are used terrestrially but it doesn't much apply to Ku's much higher radio frequencies.

 

[KE4EST]

Would it probably help to use a scalar ring.

Simple answer, No.
A scalar ring is used when using a C-Band LNBF on an undersized dish, to help reject noise. In the case of a Ku-Band LNBF on a DirecTV dish, not going to do you any good.
Post some pics standing behind the dish.

 

[Route66Fan]

Here's the pictures I took. I currently have the dish & pole laying on the ground, so they won't get blown over.

 

[KE4EST]

What I meant was pics standing and looking the way the dish is looking, so we can kind of see your LOS.

 

[Brct203]

assuming that the mount pipe is somewhat close to vertical when you try aiming at the satellite, that elevation seems very low for your location. On the picture it looks like you have it at around 28 degrees. I would expect that satellites such as 95W or 97W would be at around 40 degrees or higher from your location

 

[harshness]

On the picture it looks like you have it at around 28 degrees. I would expect that satellites such as 95W or 97W would be at around 40 degrees or higher from your location

I concur that the elevation is probably way off (unless the location is near the lakes of Northern Canada or the post is leaning hard to the North). More than likely another instance of using the bolt center versus the straight edge behind the slot.

What we still don't know is exactly how out of plumb the pole is and what the LNB is pointing at. There will be no end of frustration if the pole isn't plumb as the elevation needs to be adjusted to tune satellites more than a few degrees apart and the skew comes into play as they get further apart.

 

[Route66Fan]

What I meant was pics standing and looking the way the dish is looking, so we can kind of see your LOS.

This is the best I can do for now.
Looking South.

The dish does have slight damage on the edge of the left side, also the pole, that I am temporarily using, is actually a (Approximately.) 10ft long PVC conduit pipe. The pipe was wanting to lean a little bit due to the weight of the dish & also because the pipe doesn't fit properly into the stand I am using (I had to shove part of a stick down in the hole between the pipe & the stand to make it not lean so much.

Another picture showing, somewhat, the position of the LNB on the mount.

I did read, on another site, that somebody that had a similar dish & LNB that I have was able to get their setup working by adjusting the dish tilt, instead of the LNB skew.

 

[comfortably_numb]

That dish looks bent to me. That's not good.

Also, in my previous experience using a DBS dish for FTA, the dish doesn't need to be rotated like it is when used for Directv. Should look like this:

 

[catamount]

Looks to me that your lnb is way to close to the dish. Double check the distance with the original lnb.
Catamount